I photographed this pod of Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) staying cool and lolling near the shore of the Zambezi River above Victoria Falls the morning of August 25, 2012. We were out on an early morning boat trip to bird and look for big game in the Mosi-oa-Tunya (smoke that thunders) National Park's shoreline areas. Temperatures on this sunny day were in the upper 60's. The hippo is the third largest type of land mammal. The cetaceans, whales and porpoises, are their closest living relatives. This semi-aquatic mammal inhabits rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. "Happy, Happy" hippos weren't so happy this morning as one rammed our boat. Our driver gunned the engine, and we were out of harm's way in a flash. The hippo is notorious for being a very aggressive and dangerous creature.